Storm Éowyn was one of the biggest storms to hit Central and Southern Scotland in decades and was declared a red weather warning by the Met Office, as winds reached upwards of 90 mph. Last Thursday, the First Minister activated SGoRR, the Scottish Government’s resilience and emergency system, and as Cabinet Secretary for Education, I attended several meetings over the course of the weekend, to help coordinate help and support our communities.
Given the clear danger to life and likelihood of structural damage to property, transport services were suspended and many schools across the country were closed. The effects across Mid Fife and Glenrothes were clear, with numerous buildings damaged and roads closed because of fallen trees. Households in areas like Woodside and Lundin Links faced lengthy power cuts, but I know that engineers worked around the clock to restore power to these affected properties and others across Fife. At a time such as this, it was heartening to see the strength of community spirit that exists across our constituency, as neighbours checked in on one another and brought flasks of hot tea and blankets to the elderly who had been without power for several hours. In the event of any future power cuts, you can report or get information about issues in your local area by calling 105, and if you, or someone you know, is particularly vulnerable and without power, you can receive emergency support by texting ‘PSR’ to 61999.
Major clean-up operations commenced quickly to repair any damage caused by the winds and restore our public services. This weekend, I tried to do my part in the local community by joining the Balbirnie Future Foundation in Markinch on Sunday for a post-storm clean-up of the village, picking up litter and debris from our streets and local park.
While red warnings like this are rare in Scotland, we are seeing an increased frequency of extreme weather conditions across the globe as a result of climate change. It’s worrying then that some world leaders are withdrawing from international climate targets and rolling back on commitments for green and cleaner energy extraction and consumption. The Scottish Government, however, is striving to be a world leader in our move towards being a Net Zero nation by 2045. There has already been considerable work on decarbonising Heat in Buildings, with the potential to become a template for works carried out for the rest of the UK. Notably, our £500 million, 10-year Just Transition Fund was created to sustain and develop Scotland’s workforce into the move to a net-zero economy, and recent investment is helping to tap into Scotland’s strong renewable energy sources. There is still a long road ahead on this journey, but within the constraints of devolution, the Scottish Government is making real progress to deliver climate action.
